Into the Darkness
by Vivi3030
Summary: Link is called to duty as General of Hyrule by Zelda after the Twilight crisis is over, but must leave his old life behind. Oneshot, part of a 100k word story that will be rewritten eventually.


**This story is the first chapter of a 100k word+ story that I'm rewriting at some point. For now, consider it a oneshot that is complete. I will be rewriting and posting new chapters within a year, though.**

**Vivi**

**START**

Chapter 1

As the mirror shattered, I couldn't help but gasp. Nothing had prepared me for this. Midna hadn't even hinted at this possibility.

But she was gone. Like tears in rain, she was gone, and I would never see her again.

Zelda was just as shocked as I was, but was doing a good job of not showing it. "Are you all right, Link?" She asked quietly after a few minutes.

I tried to respond, but my throat caught. All I could do was stare at the massive block of obsidian that Midna had disappeared into.

_She's gone, Link. Forever._ I told myself. _Keep some dignity. You're in front of the princess of Hyrule and you're acting like a fool._

"Yes, my lady." I choked out.

She wasn't convinced, nor was she happy with me addressing her formally. "You're not going to pull that crap on me, Link."

I looked over at her, shocked. "What crap?" I didn't know what I had done wrong, but I wasn't really in the mood to be rebuked for anything.

"Calling me your majesty, your highness, or my lady." She replied unexpectedly.

I wasn't in the mood to argue. Instead, I nodded and turned back to the massive block of obsidian. Into it had gone all of my hopes and dreams. Midna, the little imp who had been hell-bent on making my life miserable for the first few months of knowing me, was gone. I shouldn't have been so upset, but she had taken a special place in my heart over the year I had traveled with her. After I saved her life by bringing her to Zelda, she had begun to show her true self to me. During our time traveling with and depending on each other, we grew closer and closer. It could have been called a twisted, messed up relationship.

While Midna was stuck in her imp form, we could hardly have expressed any of those kinds of emotion to each other. After I defeated Ganondorf, she had only stayed in Hyrule for a few short days. My nerve had failed me, and I hadn't been able to tell her my feelings. Zelda had been around the entire time, anyways, as we traveled to Hyrule Castle and the Arbiter's Grounds. Not that I saw her as the reason I couldn't tell Midna about how I felt, but it had been a roadblock I would have had to work around.

Now, every fiber in my being regretted not finding a private place with Midna. I desperately longed for one more hour.

_I could have convinced her to stay. I would have even gone with her and lived in Twilight Hyrule for the rest of my life. I would have done anything for her. Why did she do this?_

After a few more minutes, I turned around to the princess, wanting to be done with the place. She looked up at me quickly, and for a second, I thought I saw tears in her eyes. But just as quickly, they were gone.

"I'm…ready." I stammered out. "I think."

Zelda nodded. "Let's get out of this gods-forsaken place."

The trip to the bottom of the temple seemed longer than the entire year I had spent with Midna. Zelda and I walked in silence, in what I surmounted to be a silent tribute to the true Twilight Princess. Without her, Hyrule would have been enveloped in darkness and disastrously merged with Twilight Hyrule.

Though I had been the brute force, Midna's cunning intelligence had been what saved Hyrule. I couldn't even have saved Zelda and still managed to kill Ganondorf without the twilight princess.

I shook my head, clearing it as we reached our horses. Even though Hyrule had been saved from Ganondorf and Zant, I was still Zelda's only protection from bandits and raiders on the trip back. It wouldn't do her any good if I were bemoaning my situation the entire time. Nor would she be safe.

As we mounted our horses, I looked sadly at the steed Midna had ridden to the Arbiter's Grounds. Shaking my head again, I grabbed its reigns and tied them to the girth strap on Epona's saddle. Without pomp and circumstance, Zelda and I nudged our horses and set off to the west, where Hyrule waited.

We hadn't gone a mile before Zelda cleared her throat as if to speak, but paused awkwardly, glancing over at me.

I nodded, trying not to look as dejected as I felt, and she spoke. "I know that this may not be the right time to ask you, but could you come with me back to what's left of the castle? I'm not sure I want to travel alone. Ganondorf may be dead, but his creatures are still around."

"Of course." I replied. "I certainly wasn't planning on leaving Hyrule's princess alone on the countryside."

"There you go with that princess garbage again. Please, just call me Zelda."" She said, a small smile reaching her lips. "Or Zel, if you want."

"Zel-" I nearly choked on my own tongue when she said that, but gathered my wits quickly. "Are you sure?"

"Link, if you're worried about the appropriateness of it, don't bother." She said. "Geez, people act like I just told them to jump off a cliff when I tell them to call me by my name."

"That's because you're royalty." I pointed out.

"Hm, I guess so. But even still, I'm a human being with a name. And it's not Your Majesty. And besides," She replied, smiling to herself. "I've always liked being called Zel."

I was utterly confused as to why she was telling me the last part, but decided not to question it, and let the calm silence of the desert's evening set in. The quiet didn't last, though.

"Link, I have an offer for you, if you want to hear it." Zelda started suddenly, as if she had been working up her nerve to ask. An inquisitive stare from me convinced her to continue. "I'm obviously going to need to rebuild my castle, along with reorganize the military. Many of the soldiers were killed or injured, and many others went back to their homes. I know for a fact that my previous general is dead. I saw him…impaled."

I continued to stare at her curiously, so she went on. "What I'm saying is that I need a new general to reorganize my forces. It would have to be someone decidedly fierce and dangerous, but with stunning intellect when it comes to strategy. By the good faith of the goddesses, I didn't have to look far."

"Who is it?" I asked, curious as to how this was an offer.

"You really are as humble as Midna said, aren't you?" Zelda asked, looking pensive at mentioning the twilight princess's name. "It's you. I want you to be the leader of my armies, Link. I can't think of anyone better suited to it."

"Oh no." I said, shaking my head vehemently. "I don't want power or responsibility or anything like that."

"Well, I figured you would say that, and you probably aren't even remotely interested in the half-million rupee yearly salary, so I guess I have to convince you." She said, and sighed. "Link, you've given so much to Hyrule already, and I need you to know that I appreciate everything you've done. Whether you know it or not, you already have power and responsibility. Everyone knows what you sacrificed for Hyrule, and you've become a hero not just to me, but to the entire population of Hyrule."

"How does that make me have power and responsibility?" I asked.

"The people look up to you, Link. They won't want anyone else to do this. If I don't appoint you as the new general, I know the council won't approve it." Zelda said, frustration creeping into her voice. "And there's already a power struggle going on in the upper ranks of the military. All of the highest-ranking officers are about to have a fight to the death to gain my favor for the appointment, and I don't want to deal with that. I don't want some power hungry idiot kissing the ground I walk on to be Hyrule's general. I want you."

I sighed and looked down at Epona, not knowing what to say. Zelda was practically pleading with me to do this, and I wasn't in a position to tell the princess no. I still didn't want to be a powerful figurehead, though.

"I know this is a huge thing to ask of you, Link, but that's why I have to have you. The best man to put in power is the one who doesn't want the power." Zelda begged, fixing me with her sparkling blue eyes.

_How could I possibly say no to that? _I thought, more than a little disgruntled.

"Just let me go home to Ordon for a little while." I said with a long-suffering sigh. "I'm not going to say no to the princess of Hyrule, but I'd like a few days at home to recover from…all this."

Zelda seemed like she was going to explode in happiness. She leaned over, grasped my hand, and gave me a dazzling smile. I couldn't help but smile myself, even if it was a little disheartened.

"Take as much time as you need." Zelda said, giving my hand a squeeze and letting go. "I'm not in any place to rush you. I also have to tell all those ass-kissing military officers that they're wasting their breath and my time by doing their thing. Thank you, Link. You're doing more for me than you know."

"You're welcome." I said a little gruffly, decidedly unhappy with my new job. I thought the conversation would be over at that point, but Zelda glanced back at me from where she rode. She looked genuinely nervous now, as if what she wanted to say would hurt my feelings.

I looked up at her, and she started a little, as if not expecting me to notice her staring.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

Zelda wrung her hands together nervously for a few seconds, but eventually spoke up.

"You loved her, didn't you?"

For the second time in the span of a few minutes, I nearly choked on my tongue. My feelings for Midna were definitely subtle to the point where Midna herself hadn't noticed, and now Zelda had hit the nail on the head.

_Damn that Triforce of Wisdom. _I thought to myself, but responded to her question with a small nod.

"I thought so." Zelda said, looking down at the ground in sadness. I couldn't imagine why she did that, but I guessed it was something along the lines of sympathy. "It must be hard."

"It is." I agreed quietly, but refused to let myself be emotionally tormented. "Conversation is helping, but I imagine the only real cure for this is time. I refuse to act like a lovesick teenage boy, though. I'm too old for that."

"I understand." Zelda said. "I don't know why she shattered the mirror. I wish she hadn't, even just strictly for your sake."

"It wouldn't have worked." I said bluntly. "In the end, there were too many differences. She's a princess, I'm a goatherd. She's from shadow, I'm from light. I don't know if I could even survive in her world for extended periods of time. Like she said before she left, light and shadow aren't meant to mix."

"Link, the fact that you're a goatherd has nothing to do with how Midna felt for you." Zelda replied hotly. "No princess worth her salt would care about where a man comes from or what his background is. Not to mention that you're the now the most renowned knight in all of Hyrule. That counts for something."

"Knight?" I asked, hoping she was just using the phrase loosely. "Don't tell me you're…"

"Yes, I'm knighting you." The princess replied, smiling again. "You're not getting a choice on this one, either.

"Zelda-"

"No, discussion closed. You're too humble for your own good, Link. I can't reasonably let you go back to your hometown and herd goats for a living for the rest of your life." Zelda cut in. "And you can't tell me that after a solid year of adventure, you would be satisfied living a farm life."

_She's right. _I thought after my initial anger at her statement faded. _Herding goats wasn't something I ever wanted to do for the rest of my life._

My silence confirmed Zelda's assumption, so she continued good-naturedly. "Besides, I'd like to get to know you a little better. We haven't had much of a chance to talk, yet I owe you my life and my country. I'd like to know a little bit about my hero."

I chuckled a little at that and nudged Epona up beside Zelda so that she didn't have to crane her neck to speak to me.

"All right…Zel. Ask all your questions. I'll do my best to answer them." I said, glad to have her to distract me from Midna's absence.

Zelda immediately began bombarding me with questions about my past, present, future, and everything in between. It seemed like they had been building up behind a wall, and were suddenly all flooding out.

I couldn't imagine why she found me so fascinating, but I humored her curiosity until we made it out of the desert and set up camp for the night by Lake Hylia.

**BREAK**

I had given up trying to sleep hours before. It was hopeless. Almost like a switch, my misery at Midna's departure had hit me like a charging Stalfos when Zelda had rolled over and gone to sleep hours ago.

As a lone tear rolled down my face, I closed my eyes and shook my head.

_This is ridiculous. I should have known this was going to happen. _I told myself. _She was from a completely different world. I shouldn't have let myself fall for her in the first place. She was the meanest person I've ever met._

My mind seemed to be having a war with itself. _For three months, yes. But after that, she obviously cared about me. After I saved her life, she showed me who she really was. For nine months, she was there for me through everything. I can't believe I let her go like that. I should have run for the portal rather than stand there._

_It wouldn't have done any good. _The nagging voice in my head replied. _She made her decision, and it was for a good reason. You're not the one for her, and she knew that. You said it yourself. There were too many differences._

I grunted in frustration and pushed the voice to the back of my mind, instead choosing to stare into the raging campfire. I was hoping that its warmth would keep Zelda comfortable through the night.

As I glanced over at the princess, she rolled over slowly and groaned, opening her eyes.

"Morning, sunshine." I grunted.

"This isn't a good morning. I can't sleep." She grumbled softly, and groaned again. "This always makes me remember how spoiled I am with my soft mattress and feather pillows at home. Why are you still up, anyways?"

"Keeping watch." I half-lied, looking away from her.

"Want to try that again?" She asked, sitting up slowly and popping her back. "You're not a very good liar. And it's very difficult to lie to me anyways."

"Moping." I conceded, staring into the fire again.

Zelda sighed, and I heard her crawl out of the tent. After a few seconds, she sat down next to me, pulled her knees up to her chin and stared into the fire for a long while.

"What's on your mind?" I asked carefully, not knowing how comfortable I was allowed to be around her.

"Nothing in particular is bothering me. Just a great many little things." She replied. "I'm still in shock from what happened. And now I have to go back to being a monarch, which is the last thing I want to deal with. Before this crisis happened a year ago, I hated every single day of my life. I would roll out of bed in the morning not knowing how I was going to make it through another day."

"Why's that?" I asked, still carefully. It seemed like I was allowed to open up to her, though.

"The nobles, the court, the extravagance, gluttony, greed, and so on. I despise nobles and, for the most part, the court. Not that I think I should have total power, but the court is full of Hyrule's elite, who care only for themselves and their own profits. If something threatens those profits, they strike it down before I even have a chance to talk to them about it." She ranted, still staring into the fire. "And sometimes, I just want a little time to have fun. I've probably had three days to myself since my father died when I was thirteen. If you don't count me being locked in a tower for a while by Zant."

"You need to get out more." I said, a small grin on my face so she knew I was kidding. "You've spent half of your life ruling Hyrule. I think you deserve a few days off every now and then."

"More than half. It's been seven years." She said unhappily. "I envy regular people. I want a normal life."

"Yeah, me too." I replied softly.

Zelda turned to me a little suddenly, and I glanced over at her.

"Link, whenever you come back to the castle for good, please visit me regularly." She said, looking down nervously. "I don't really have any friends because of my title. Hell, I'm twenty and I've never even courted anyone. Please just promise that you'll be around. I don't want to handle all of this alone."

I smiled at her request. "Of course, Zel." Much to my confusion, she blushed and turned away, muttering something quietly.

_Such a simple request coming from a princess. _I thought. _How can she not have any friends? And why did she blush like that? _I held my tongue, though, checking my curiosity. Some questions were better not asked.

We sat in silence for a while, before Zelda finally spoke again.

"I can try to find another way to the Twilight Realm if you want. It won't be easy, but there's a small possibility of our wizards being able to do it." She said hesitantly.

After pondering the offer for a minute, I came to a decision. "No. I trust Midna's judgment, even if I don't like it. And I have to move on. I can't spend the rest of my life hoping and praying for some miracle to occur."

"Well, if you ever change your mind," She said, "Just let me know. I owe you that."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm just going to try to move past all this. My adventure is over, thank the goddesses. I need to put all of it behind me, not just parts of it." I replied

"You're a lot stronger than I am, then." The princess mumbled before stretching again and yawning loudly. "What time is it?"

"Probably about two or three." I mumbled.

"Well, you go get some sleep. Or try at least. I'll keep watch." She said, and held up a hand as I opened my mouth to argue. "Don't even try. You kept watch both nights on the way to the Arbiter's Grounds, and most of tonight. You haven't slept for any extended amount of time in the past three days."

Grudgingly, I accepted her reasoning. My eyelids were feeling heavy now, anyways.

"Good night, Zel." I said quietly as I crawled into the tent. Within seconds of putting my head on the pillow, I was fast asleep.

**BREAK**

Another day of riding found Zelda and I back to Castle Town a few hours before dusk. She was greeted with a warm reception, but people were shouting and chanting my name.

Riding through the town's center was one of the more awkward experiences of my life, so I kept my head down, hoping to attract less attention. Naturally, Zelda got a great laugh out of that.

"You're going to have to get used to this!" She called out to me as we waded through the gathering crowd. In all reality, my biggest concern was the fact that I was Zelda's only guard, and at least ten people were in between her and myself. A few pushes and vaults brought me up to her side.

"Zelda, you need to be careful." I said worriedly, surveying the crowd as we moved towards Telma's Bar, where the basic administrative duties of the country were being taken care of. Ganondorf's destruction of Hyrule Castle had killed quite a few people underneath the rubble. Their funerals needed to be organized and paid for, as well as keeping up the basic infrastructure of the city.

"Relax, Link. I'll be able to sense any assassination attempt well before it happens." She said, pushing her way out of the edge of the crowd with me. "I've done it at least five or six times."

"_Five or six?" _I asked in awe.

"Possibly more. I don't really know. I sort of lost count." She replied calmly.

"My goddesses." I muttered as I pulled open the door to the bar and held it for the princess. She thanked me and walked inside.

Upon entering, I was immediately overwhelmed by people. Without warning, my face was shoved into Telma's cleavage as she embraced me.

_In any other situation, I might enjoy this. _I grumbled to myself, pushing myself out of Telma's bear hug, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

"What's wrong, Link? Big girls need love, too." She quipped, grinning.

"Sorry, Telma. I'm more of the brunette type." I replied, generating quite a bit more laughter in the room.

"Oh, I see." Telma chuckled. "Just a few days with the princess and you fell for her hard, didn't you?"

"What-No! That's-"

"Denial doesn't help anything, honey." Telma was bent over double laughing now. A quick glance at Zelda showed me that she was feeling just as awkward as I was.

"Speaking of princesses, though, where's Midna?" Ashei's voice sounded over the group. "I know I saw her leave with you two."

Zelda and I shared an awkward stare, and I motioned for her to tell everyone about it. I didn't want to talk about it.

"She…went back to the Realm of Twilight." Zelda said quietly.

"When will she be coming back? Surely there's an alliance soon to be formed between the realms of light and twilight." This time it was Auru's voice.

"She won't be coming back. Nor will we be going to the Realm of Twilight." Zelda replied. "She shattered the Twilight Mirror. Unless we find another mirror, our worlds are forever divided. That was what Midna believed was the best decision, and I'm inclined to trust her judgment."

Silence overtook the room. For a few seconds, I could have heard a pin drop.

"Should we search for another mirror?" Ashei asked finally.

"No. I don't believe there's another one. At least not in Hyrule." The princess said. "And we have other things to focus on, like rebuilding the castle and the council."

A nod of agreement swept through the room, but some man I didn't know stood up angrily.

"What's this about rebuilding the council? All of its members yet live." He said.

"I guess it's time for me to announce my plan, then." Zelda said with a smirk. Every single person in the room looked at each other nervously.

_What's this? _I thought.

"As of right now, I still have the power of martial law, granted to me by the council. For those of you less politically oriented, that means I hold absolute emergency power." She said. "With that power, I'm disbanding the council. All of its members can keep whatever title they currently have, but I will no longer suffer under the scrutiny of the nobles."

_Oh goddesses, what's gotten into her? She can't just disband the council. That would make her a dictator. _The disconcerted murmuring in the room told me that I wasn't the only one thinking that.

Zelda wasn't finished, though. "Instead of a council of nobles, I'm instating a council of fifty democratically elected leaders, to be voted on by the members of fifty separate regions of Hyrule. These elected leaders will come from every social class, not just nobility."

_Whoa, never mind._

The bar had fallen deathly silent, and the noble who had stood up before was now gaping at the princess like she was insane. He didn't take long to speak.

"This is madness!" He shouted. "You can't do that! That goes against every time-honored tradition we have in Hyrule. The ruling class has always made up the council!"

"Reginald, sit down." Zelda snapped. "This is not a time-honored tradition. The 'ruling class' you speak of should be the people, not a person who can't even be bothered to look at a farmer or laborer. Much less speak with one."

The man named Reginald turned a wonderful shade of violet at her words. I almost laughed it was so comical, but froze as Zelda began backing up to where I stood.

Reginald began advancing towards her, shouting even louder. "I will not be reduced to the level of the common rabble you blasphemous wench! You don't hold any power, and the council will never vote for this load of crap. You should be hanged for such treasonous words!"

Ashei stepped in front of Reginald to stop his advance, but he shoved her down to the ground. Auru tried stopping him as well, but landed with a thump next to Ashei.

"Reginald, back off." I said calmly, stepping in front of Zelda, who had just reached me. My hand desperately itched to draw the Master Sword, but I held off, not wanting to kill the man unless I had to.

The noble's eyes went wide, and he drew his saber. "You would dare threaten me, you pathetic, dirt-born goatherd?"

"If you take another step, I'll show you exactly what this dirt-born goatherd can do to you." I replied, still completely calm. The room was deathly silent now, and I was the only one without my sword drawn.

I held my ground for a full minute while a storm raged in Reginald's eyes. Finally, he let out a savage cry and leaped at me, spinning his sword. He came down with a massive overhand blow, presenting a perfect opportunity for me to catch his wrist and twist his arm behind his back. The sound of his sword hitting the ground covered up the relieved sigh the others in the room let out.

"You pathetic bastard-child." Reginald growled at me.

"That's enough, Reginald." Zelda cut in. "You could have shown some kind of honor in your departure, but instead you threatened my life and, without a doubt, tried to take the life of Hyrule's General. Not only that, you assaulted two of my most trusted advisors, and slandered both Link and I. I could have you hanged right now."

"Well then do it." The man said, and began cackling loudly. Without warning, his voice lowered, and he began speaking in an ancient tongue. The mere sound of it echoed around the bar, shattering glass and nearly blowing out my eardrums.

"_Mor dok inuad nova, legu elsi sol. Vallasva tekke nul." _He shouted, each word bringing pain to my very soul. "_Nove ette nul BANE!"_

The final word was too much. I fell to the ground, clamping my hands over my ears. Each time the man spoke, I could almost feel death running its cold fingers up my spine. Each word was laced with the hatred of the cursed dead. When I tried to reach up for my blade, I found that even the echoes of Reginald's ancient tongue were painful, and had to cover my ears again.

Finally, the pain ended with a flash of bright light, though I was blinded for a few seconds. Once I could see again, I leaped to my feet, drawing my blade and checking around.

Everywhere around me were the unconscious bodies of the room's inhabitants. Ashei and Auru were still on the ground where they had been pushed down. Telma had passed out in front of the bar. A few of the other former resistance leaders were huddled in a corner, but unconscious like the rest.

Behind me, Zelda let out a soft moan from where she lay. Quickly, I rushed over to her and knelt by her side.

"Zelda, are you all right?" I asked, trying not to panic.

She groaned again and reached up, feeling around for me. I took her hand and she squeezed it tightly, shuddering and pulling herself close. I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up, laying her on one of the tables. As I did so, she opened her eyes, rolled over away from me, and vomited all over the floor. I stepped back and gave her some air, hoping that I wouldn't be following her example in a few seconds.

When the princess had finally coughed up the remainder of her last meal, she rolled over and covered her face with her hands.

"No, I'm not." She choked out, in answer to my question.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Reginald was always an evil man. I knew that, but I never thought it would go this far." Zelda said, sighing. "He was speaking the language of the demons. It's a dead language, and only three people can understand it. None can speak it on their own, though, which means that Reginald has either been possessed or willingly made a deal with a demon."

"Well, can anyone tell us what he just said?"

"Well, I can. But you may not want to hear it." The princess replied uncertainly.

I nodded, and she began translating to herself. After a solid minute, she looked up at me and began. "You are dead, Hero of Light, for I have returned. The Vallasva have risen. Light will fall before the power of Bane."

"That's it?" I questioned, almost amused. "That's not very threatening. I hope this Bane character won't mind that I'm not quaking in fear."

"You've never read the old stories of the Hero of Time's forgotten travels, have you?" Zelda asked inquisitively. I shook my head, so she continued. "Well, I've read a little bit on it. It was about a thousand years ago, so obviously the story has been changed a lot, but the Hero of Time is said to have faced three demons after he sealed Ganondorf away. After he defeated their leader, he found out that a fourth had been set loose upon the land. He searched for decades, but never found anything. Bane was the demon that was set loose. He's a Vallasva, which are the strongest of all the demons, especially in magical ability. Still today, he haunts the Hero of Time's bloodline"

"Why would he haunt the hero's bloodline? What would be his purpose?" I asked, my curiosity definitely getting the better of me.

"From what I've studied, demons are driven by greed, jealousy, and hatred." Zelda replied. "And you're the most powerful figure in Hyrule, not to mention a descendant of the Hero of Time. He would naturally want to challenge you."

"I'm wha-"

A guttural roar interrupted me. I spun around, raising my sword, only to find Ashei crawling to her feet, blade in hand.

"Where is that bastard?" She growled ferociously. "I'll cut his ball sack off and make him eat it."

"He's gone, Ashei. Relax. We're not in danger for the moment." Zelda said calmly.

Ashei hesitantly put her sword in its sheathe. "Gods alive, what was that? Reginald was never good with magic, but he knocked me out before I even realized what was happening."

"I have a theory, but let's wait until Auru wakes up." Zelda said. "Then, we need to get somewhere safe. I know someone who can help."

**BREAK**

"That's quite disturbing indeed…" Renado, Kakariko's shaman, scratched his chin as he trailed off. "I wish I knew if your theory was correct or not, your majesty, but you are likely more educated than I in this matter."

"Hardly." Zelda replied. "Unfortunately, I never took advantage of the castle's vast collection of history books. The only things I ever read were about the Hero of the Sky and the Hero of Time, but I was never able to find much information on Bane, nor of the Hero of Time's adventures after he was sent back to his childhood."

"Well, I can try to help you there." Renado said. "I've done quite a bit of research on the Hero of Time. You could call it a minor obsession. I actually did some scrying when I was a young man, and saw a few precious minutes of what I believe are his adventures. Obviously, this scrying is slightly distorted because of the millennia that separates us from him, but I learned much."

"Could you tell us what you know?" I asked hopefully.

"I can." Renado replied. "I had five visions. The first showed a man, possibly a king, bargaining with four demons. Three of them accepted his deal, offering their power to destroy the Hero of Time and all of Hyrule, although I could not determine what they were to receive in return. The fourth demon was Demise, the former demon king. He rejected the offer, but managed to resurrect himself."

"In the second, I saw the Hero of Time crawling through a severely damaged Hyrule Castle with the Sage of Light. They caught the first demon unaware as he tormented the King of Hyrule. The Hero of Time pierced its heart with a light arrow, and it was no more."

"In the third, the Hero of Time was accompanied by a woman whose beauty could not be rivaled. She had blonde hair and vividly green eyes, and was a wizard of overwhelming power. However, despite her power, she was killed by the second demon as the Hero watched. He then used the power of the completed Triforce to utterly destroy the demon and, in a method I still don't understand, bring the woman back to life. He was very upset by her death. I believe he loved this woman deeply. She was not Sage of Time, though, which contradicts what the history books say."

"In the fourth vision, I saw the Hero of Time face Demise. He was alone, wielding the Master Sword and the power of the Triforce. With their combined might, he slew Demise. However, Demise's energy faded into the sky, rather than be locked inside the Master Sword like when the Hero of the Sky killed him. The hero was then deposited in Hyrule Field by Hylia, and went home to the aforementioned woman. This was the last time I saw him."

"Lastly, I saw the third demon that the king summoned absorbing the powers of the three demons the Hero of Time killed. With this power, he was able to easily pass through the barriers that separate strands of time. He said in a monologue that he would be a curse upon the descendants of the Hero of Time, and that he would be waiting for one far more powerful. That is the last vision."

My mind was reeling at all the information I had been given. That he knew this much was a testament to his aptitude with magic. By all standards, he shouldn't have been able to scry into the past at all. Even a few seconds was thought to be impossible. However, he had been scrying backwards a thousand years, in which time Hyrule had changed an unbelievable amount.

"How did you know all that?" Ashei asked, obviously in as much awe as I was.

"To this day, I can only explain it as a gift from Farore." Renado replied. "When I had spent weeks trying to unveil the secrets of the past, she came to me in a dream and touched my forehead. The next day, I saw these visions."

"I read that the hero searched for Bane for years but, never finding anything, sealed himself away right before he died." Zelda added. "The author suggested that because he had failed to find Bane in his own lifespan, he was willing to suffer the haunting twilight of the dead while waiting for the demon to surface again. At that time, he could return and help in an indirect way."

The words rung a bell in me, but I couldn't quite place what I was thinking. The recognition was fighting its way out of my subconscious, though.

"If only we could speak with the Hero." Renado said, smiling sadly. "Alas, it's not possible. If it were true that he sealed himself away, it would be impossible to find him."

"Wait." I cut in. "You said he sealed himself away so that he could help indirectly?"

"Well, that's what the author of the book I read claimed." Zelda replied, a little surprised by my entrance into the conversation.

The realization hit me all at once. The Hero of Time had, in fact, sealed himself away and joined the dead. He had waited for a millennia, and pulled himself back into our world as he saw Bane nearing his reentrance. All the sword techniques, the body movement, the defensive strategies I had learned had been ancient, long forgotten techniques. No mere ghost could have taught me those strategies.

"The golden wolf." I muttered, palming my forehead. "I can't believe I didn't see that before. My goddesses, the golden wolf is the Hero of Time."

"Wait, whoa. Slow down, Link." Ashei said. "Who is the golden wolf?"

I turned to her, excited by my sudden realization. "Look, only Zelda knows about this, so let's keep it on the down-low, but whenever I entered the Twilight, I was transformed into a wolf. After a lot of traveling, I was able to control the transformations, and found these weird stones I could howl through, which opened up portals of some sort. If I approached these portals, I was dragged through by a golden wolf, which proceeded to transform into an eight foot tall skeleton and teach me how to use a sword."

Auru, who hadn't yet spoken, looked at me completely dumbfounded. "You mean to say that the Twilight, rather than change you into a spirit and terrify you half to death, changed your physical form into a wolf? Are you sure you didn't hit your head on something recently?"

"No, he's not lying." Zelda said. "I saw him. He broke into the castle with Midna on his back and tried to help me. Twice, he came to me, despite me being under the highest security. I actually didn't see him in his human form until after he saved me from Ganondorf's possession."

"You weren't alarmed by a wolf traipsing into your room?" Ashei asked, adding some humor to the situation.

"Well, no. He obviously wasn't there to hurt me. And he was sort of cute." The princess said, grinning at me. I felt my face darken, and chose to look down rather than reply.

"Well anyways…" Renado trailed off awkwardly. "Is there a way you could contact this golden wolf?"

"Well, there was." I replied. "But I had to be in wolf form for the first part."

"And you can't change into a wolf now?" Auru asked.

"No, I don't think so." I said. "Midna always did it for me. And now she's…gone."

"Well then we need to find her." Renado said.

"She shattered the Twilight Mirror, Renado." Zelda said before I was forced to talk about it. "We can't get back to her. It's impossible."

"That's what I thought about scrying back through time, yet I managed to watch segments of the Hero of Time's life." The shaman said. "We would accomplish many more things if we did not think them impossible."

"Do you have any suggestions?" Ashei asked.

I didn't want to listen to the discussion any more. Merely saying Midna's name had almost brought tears to my eyes, so I quietly pushed the door open and stepped outside. Their conversation was starting to give me a false hope. One that would never come to fruition and only bring me more heartbreak.

_Yes, the Hero of Light is heartbroken. _I thought to myself mordantly. _The one thing he wants more than anything leaves him reeling. Blast it all. I fought through dungeons, thousands of angry, deadly creatures, enormous bosses, a crazed Twili, and the King of Evil himself, yet the one thing that eludes me is a woman._

Without thinking, I took the path west, ending up in Kakariko's graveyard. At the back was a medium-size hole blown into the rock, which I crawled through. On the other side, I sat down on the dry land, looking out over the small pond and the grave of King Zora. This place was peaceful, and exactly what I needed.

In truth, the situation with Midna was sitting better with me than it had a few days prior. But, as in any love, it hurt to think about. Barely a week had passed since she had left Hyrule and shattered the mirror, so I couldn't reasonably expect myself to have gotten over it.

_I don't want to get over it. I want to find her, but I don't want to hope that it's possible._

The hope was too much to bear. Instead, I had chosen the pessimistic approach. She would never be mine. I could never be hers. That would be life for me, and the sooner I got that through my thick skull, the better.

But now, it seemed, I needed her for more than just my own personal feelings. My power as a wolf could be a key in finding more information about Bane. The Hero of Time had always been more than happy to share information with me, so I had no doubts that he would answer all of my questions to the best of his ability.

It was just a matter of contacting him. I had to be a wolf, which required Midna's magic and that strange dark crystal. It was like a never-ending circle of suck.

_Damn it all. _I thought, and laid back on the soft, green grass. I had yet to return home because of all the things going on, but I moved that to the top of my priority list. For now, Zelda was safe. Renado could protect her just as effectively, if not more, than I could. The castle's rubble was being cleared, and the building of a new one would be possible soon, according to scouts that were reporting in once a day.

Hyrule, for now, was doing better than ever. The twilight invasion had scared people, and they had begun cooperating and working together. The economy and well being of the people had improved by vast amounts, even over the short time that the crisis had been over. There was just one thing I hadn't checked on yet.

Ordon, being the farthest province from Hyrule's capital, reported in less often. Though such lack of communication was normal, I was still worried. All of my childhood friends were there, including Rusl, Colin, Bo, and his daughter Ilia.

Ilia was, in a way, my best friend. She had been my first love when we were young teenagers, but that was long past. I had always been unsure of my decision to end our relationship, up until the point where I left Ordon. Over the years, she had grown to be very possessive of me. Sometimes, I felt like she was jealous of everything in my life that wasn't her. That had been what had torn us apart, but she never truly understood.

Spending that eventful year with Midna had taught me a lot about myself. My decision about my relationship with Ilia had been solidified in that process. Her and I were never meant to be. I had to tell her that. For years, we had been suspended in some kind of half-relationship. Too close to be friends, but too far to be lovers. Though it would hurt her to finally end it completely, it was necessary. I wouldn't want her to live half her life waiting for me, only to find out that it would never happen.

As I contemplated just how I was going to tell her that, I closed my eyes and began to listen to the world around me. The singing of a few birds wafted through the air. A cool wind blew down into the secluded area. A wolf howled in the distance.

_A wolf! _I thought, jumping up. I made for the hole in the rock, but stopped, utterly confused. It was dark outside. It felt like the evening had passed in the blink of an eye.

_Just a dream. _I thought, sitting back down against the rock face, but didn't get to rest for long. Through the hole in the rock, I heard a faint scraping sound. Quietly, I stood up and stepped up next to it, drawing my knife as I did so. If someone were hoping to get a jump on me, they would have to be much quieter than that.

Again, there was a faint rustling sound, and a quiet curse followed. I put the knife away, deciding that this wasn't someone trying to hurt me. That didn't stop me from being aggravated that someone had found my hiding place, though.

With another curse, Zelda poked her head out of the hole and looked up, eyes locking onto me. She smiled brightly. "There you are! I've been looking for you for hours!"

My annoyance at the interruption melted away as soon as I saw the princess, and I reached down to grab her hand, helping her out of the hole.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you." I said quietly as she dusted herself off. "I just needed some time to think."

"It's all right, Link. You don't need to apologize." She said.

I sat down against the rock face again, and Zelda followed suit, letting out a small sigh. I sensed frustration behind it, but waited for her to speak. It didn't take long.

"I guess I don't need to ask why you ran off." She said, a little awkwardly.

"The thought of me being a cute wolf was just too much." I replied with a grin. My sarcasm elicited a laugh from the princess, which I had to marvel at. Her laugh had a musical quality to it that I hadn't noticed before. It was probably because most of the situations I had been in with her had been dangerous.

_Not to mention I've lost my sense of humor. _I thought sadly. When I lived in Ordon, I had been much more prone to being a little bit of a clown between causing mischief and entertaining the younger children, much to Ilia's dismay. Nowadays, I felt like I was always scowling and angry.

As if reading my thoughts, Zelda spoke again. "You know, Midna spoke to me about you. Before we left for the Arbiter's Grounds, I mean. Not that she told me what she was going to do, but other things. About your personality."

I looked at her curiously, not knowing if I wanted to hear this or not. Before I had time to decide, she went on. "She was upset, I think. She said when she found you, you were a completely different person. You were happy, she said. She was afraid of what she may have done to you when she was, as she put it, 'the most ungrateful, heartless bitch imaginable.'"

I looked down at my feet, unsure of what to say. I hadn't been aware that Midna knew how her treatment had affected me. All I had wanted to do was get rid of her, but I knew that I needed her for my world to be saved. When I had taken her to Zelda after being cast into the light, it had been purely because I needed her to live. She had made me absolutely miserable up until that point. But that wasn't the reason for my mood swings.

"She wasn't the reason I'm like this now." I muttered quietly. "It's everything I've done, everything I've seen. The people I've killed haunt me. Even if they were possessed Twili, they were still people. I've seen things that nobody alive should see. That's why I am the way I am."

In an unexpected gesture of kindness, Zelda reached out and placed her hand over mine. "You're the master of your own mind, Link. Don't let your memories control you. You should control them. And you never need to face them alone. I'm…I know I'm not Midna, but I'm here for you if you ever need someone to talk to."

"I do my best to not let the memories control me." I said. "I'm making progress, I think. I just cracked a joke, at least. It's a start."

"Yes, it is." Zelda said with a sigh. She still hadn't moved her hand. "I knew there was something special about you when I saw you that first time. You could call it a kind of twinkle in your eye. Even though you were a wolf, I could see the real person underneath."

"I wasn't actually cute, was I?" I asked.

"Oh yes you were. You were adorable. And you had the softest fur I've ever felt." She replied, laughing again. I couldn't help but laugh as well.

"I was hoping you would say something along the lines of, 'oh no, you were fierce and dangerous looking. The very thought of you made me feel sorry for Zant.'" I said, smiling. It was a strange feeling, like I was contorting my face into a shape it didn't normally go in.

_That's because it doesn't. Enjoy it._

"Well, you can't help it I guess. Even though you're all battle hardened and scowling all the time on the outside, I can see who you really are. Who you were before all this." Zelda said. "I know you'll be your old self again one day. Just give it some time."

"I hope so." I remarked. "I certainly wouldn't want to be the old codger sitting on his porch yelling at anyone who walks within sight."

"You won't be. I'll make sure of that." Zelda said with another smile. She still hadn't taken her hand off of mine, but I wasn't uncomfortable with it. It was just her showing that she cared.

"I'm going back to Ordon tonight." I said, changing the subject.

Zelda nodded, seemingly in agreement with my decision. "How long will you stay?"

"There's a few things I need to…sort out." I replied. "Maybe a week? I don't know for sure. It just depends how long it takes for me to get things together. I want to pack a few things, too, since I'm leaving Ordon for good."

"You're never going back after that?" She asked, shocked.

"Not to live, no." I answered. "My ranching life is over. I would never be satisfied with that for the rest of my existence, not after what I've done. It's time to move on, not just from Ordon, but also from everything else. I'm starting a new life with this opportunity you're giving me."

Zelda was beaming now. I was a little curious as to why she was so happy about my decision, but I didn't question it.

"You're really, positively sure about this?" She asked. "I won't ever make you take that job if it's going to make you miserable. I wouldn't do that to you."

"Yes, I'm sure." I replied.

Zelda finally took her hand off of mine so that she could wrap her arms around my neck and hug me tightly. "Thank you so much." She muttered quietly.

"You're welcome." I said, putting my arms around her awkwardly. She held the hug a few seconds longer than I expected her to, but finally let go, blushing slightly.

"What time are you leaving?" She asked.

"Right now, actually." I replied as I stood up. "The sooner I get there, the sooner I can get everything sorted out and come back."

"Oh, I didn't realize it would be so soon." Zelda said, her smile disappearing. "Let me walk with you to the edge of the village."

I nodded and crawled through the hole in the rock. Zelda soon followed, and we quietly made our way through the graveyard, careful to not disturb the dead. Once out, I called Epona and saddled her. Within minutes, I was ready to leave.

Zelda walked with me to the end of the light sprit's spring, where I stopped to mount Epona. Before I could, however, Zelda grabbed my arm, staring up into my eyes.

"Be safe, Link." She said quietly. "Whatever it is you need to sort out, take as much time as you need. I'm not asking you to hurry. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

I nodded, and for the second time that night, the princess wrapped me in a hug. When she let me go, I quickly mounted Epona and rode off into the night.

**BREAK**

"You like him, don't you?" Ashei teased Zelda.

"Is it that obvious?" The princess asked, turning red. Ashei had been waiting for her in Renado's house, having seen her brief interaction with the hero as he left.

"Well, he disappears for hours, and then you disappear for hours. Then you two come out of the most secluded spot in the village, and you're every different shade of red I can imagine. You look deeply into his eyes as he turns to leave, and then latch on to him and hold him like he's never coming back." Ashei said, grinning. "I had it pinned at the adorable wolf comment."

"It's not going to happen." The princess said with a sigh. "It never will. He's completely in love with Midna, even though she left. I mean, I can't say I blame him. But I can't help it. He's just so…so…"

"Tall, handsome, brooding, mysterious and, not surprisingly, wolfish?" Ashei finished.

"That and more." Zelda said, sighing again, this time with more frustration. With a huff, she sat down in an armchair. "I don't get it. For about five years now, I could have courted any man I wanted, but I waited for the right one. Now, I think I've finally found the right one, and he's hopelessly in love with another woman."

Ashei grinned characteristically. The woman never seemed to feel pessimistic. "Don't lose faith, Zel. He'll come around. I overheard him say he was moving on from his past. It sounded to me like Midna was included in that past."

"Goddesses, and when he calls me Zel, I get more excited than a fifteen year old girl on her first date." Zelda groaned.

Ashei laughed aloud now. "You need to get out more, honey. Other than that, though, just keep doing what you're doing. The boy is completely oblivious, but he'll catch on eventually. And you're much better suited for him than Midna."

"You think so?" Zelda asked, sitting up a little taller.

"Well, yes. You're not six inches taller and seven or eight years older than him. So that's a start." Ashei took Zelda's hand. "And personally, I think you're much prettier. Link will, too. Just give him a few more weeks."

"I hardly think her age or height mattered."

"No, it didn't." Ashei admitted.

Zelda groaned again. "This is so difficult, Ashei. I can't stop thinking about him. Is this normal?"

Ashei nodded. "And you probably daydream about him wrapping you in his arms and kissing you passionately and all that garbage."

Zelda's renewed blush confirmed it. "I'm too old for this."

"Actually, you are sort of a cougar. You know, since he's younger than you."

"Shut up, Ashei."

"Just giving you a friendly reminder." Ashei replied innocently.

**BREAK**

The trip to Ordon took considerably less time now that I was traveling alone. Epona's speed discouraged any kind of resistance. Anything that dared to attack me was met with the Master Sword's wrath quickly, and didn't live to try it again.

By mid-morning, I had reached the outskirts of Faron Woods, and found myself riding into Ordona Province just before noon. I left Epona at Ordona Spring, and then made the short walk to Ordon Village.

When I was honest with myself, I realized that I probably could have taken care of everything within a few hours. I could be in and out, and never have to come back.

But this village was where I had grown up. After my parents died ten years ago, these people had raised me, though I kept to myself most of the time. Rusl had become, essentially, my new father. Mayor Bo always checked up on me, made sure I was fed properly, and took care of me when I was sick. Ilia, though protective and demanding, was still my best childhood friend. Colin looked up to me as a big brother. I couldn't leave these people in a few hours. I wanted to spend a little bit of time with them.

My house looked undisturbed as I made my way to the entrance of the village. For now, I let it stay that way. I had to speak with a few people first.

Rusl's house looked as warm and comfortable as ever as I crossed the village quietly, making sure none of its residents saw me before I wanted to be seen. I didn't want to have all the kids getting worked up and excited just yet.

When I reached the knight's door, I entered without knocking, as everyone in the village usually did. Inside, Rusl and Uli sat at the dinner table with their baby girl. Colin was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, holding what looked like a brand new sword. He was staring at it in awe. Everyone except the baby glanced up at my entrance and gawked for a few seconds.

"Link?" Uli asked in total amazement as I shut the door.

"Yeah, it's me." I replied quietly.

"Oh my goddesses." She said, standing up and handing the baby to Rusl, who still hadn't found his voice. Uli threw her arms around me and started crying into my shoulder. For a few seconds, I just stood there awkwardly before returning her embrace.

"I told you he was fine." Colin grumbled at his parents in the corner. When I had taken the children back to Ordon, I hadn't stayed. As they got out of the wagon, I had stayed with Telma, Zelda and Midna, out of sight. Though the children and, more than likely, the adults, had been disappointed about my absence, I had needed to get back to Castle Town quickly.

Now, my adoptive parents were acting like I had died and come back to life. Rusl had handed the baby to Colin and wrapped both Uli and I in a massive bear hug. A big smile broke out on my face at the knight's antics.

"We thought you weren't ever coming back, son." Rusl said as he and Uli let me go. "The kids all said you were all right, but we've hardly seen you this past year. Except for Bo. You haven't been back in Ordon in at least nine or ten months."

"You both saw me, you just didn't recognize me." I replied cryptically, remembering the time Rusl had tried to kill me when I started Uli in wolf form.

"What do you…wait…What in blazes is that on your back?" Rusl asked, staring wide-eyed at the Master Sword.

"I already told you, dad. It's the Master Sword." Colin said, obviously annoyed at his father's forgetfulness.

"So it's true…" Uli trailed off, staring at the sword. "You really are a hero, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on. Not you, too." I said, shaking my head. "Don't call me a hero. I get enough of that from Zelda and the people in Castle Town. I'm still Link."

"Whoa, you call the princess by her first name?" Colin asked, excited now.

I chuckled a little bit as the look on Rusl and Uli's faces matched their sons. "Yeah, she won't let me call her anything else. It looks like I've got a lot to tell you."

"Here, take your sword and shield off and sit down." Uli said, pulling a chair out from the table. "I was about to start cooking lunch. Tell us everything."

I sat down, laying the Master Sword down next to me. "Well, where should I start?"

"At the beginning." Rusl replied.

**BREAK**

"You mean to tell me you saved that woman's world, as well as ours, and you didn't get some before she left?" Bo asked.

I put my head in my arms and sighed at the mayor's blunt personality. "Bo, don't you think that's a little shallow?"

"Not at all. You earned that."

Bo had burst into Rusl's home as I had reached the halfway point in my narrative of the past year, forcing me to start over. How he had known I was here, I still hadn't been able to figure out. Apparently the entire village already knew, and the mayor was setting up a celebration tonight.

"So, you're telling us that the blue-eyed wolf I tried to kill that one night was you?" Rusl asked in amazement.

"Yeah, that was me. I needed a sword really bad. I'm sorry about losing that, by the way. I'll buy you a new one at the bazaar in Castle Town and send it back here." I said.

"That's all right, Link." Rusl said. "I'm glad that sword did some good."

I turned my attention back to the mayor, who was examining the Master Sword with a look of awe. "Do we really have to have a celebration? Seriously, I don't want that."

"All right, then we can call it a party." Bo said. "And think of how disappointed everyone else would be if you didn't show up to your own party. And it's your birthday tomorrow! I hope you haven't forgotten about that. We'll call it a birthday party if that makes you feel better."

"Yeah, I guess it is." I grumbled, having completely forgotten about it. "19 isn't all that exciting, though. And you should know that I'm never going to forgive you for this."

"Oh, I don't care if you do or not. You'll still be attending the party and telling this whole story to everyone else." The mayor replied, thoroughly amused. "We haven't ever had anyone or anything this exciting in Ordon in…forever! And to think that you wouldn't have been able to do it without my boots…"

"Damn it, Bo. Fine." I conceded. "But after that, no more drawing attention to me."

"No guarantees." The mayor said, grinning as he stepped out of the door. "Come down to the village when I light the bonfire."

"The bonfire?" I called out. But there was no response, save for more laughing as Bo walked away.

Colin hadn't been able to stop laughing the entire time Bo had been tormenting me. "You should accept a little praise every now and then, Link."

"I don't want to." I said. "I was just trying to help my friends. I was doing what I hope other people would do for me. It just happened to take me all over Hyrule and I happened to save a lot of people. I didn't do it for fame and glory."

"Well that's what you're getting." Rusl said, patting my back. "I'm glad you're back, son. Are you going to be herding goats again?"

I looked down at my hands, twiddling my thumbs awkwardly. "Actually, I didn't want to say anything in front of Bo, but something came up."

Uli looked up, surprised, as she set down the pot of soup she had just finished. "What is it? Are you not staying in Ordon?"

"Well, no." I mumbled, having a hard time putting what I needed to say into words. "Zelda begged me to take a…um…job in Castle Town. I decided to take it. I'm just here for a little while. I'm going to be moving away within the week."

"Whoa, wait, what job did she beg you to take?" Colin asked, nearly spilling his soup as he ladled it into a bowl. "Why did she beg you to take it?"

"Slow down, Colin." Uli said. "One question at a time. What job is it, Link?"

"Well, the general of Hyrule's military was one of the first ones killed in the war with Zant. He was trying to defend Zelda." I replied. "Zelda needs a new general."

"And she offered you the job?" Rusl asked, stunned.

"Yeah…" I muttered, looking everywhere but the knight's eyes.

"Holy Farore." Rusl cursed, receiving a glare from Uli. "You're…wow…holy crap."

"I didn't want it." I added. "I said no, and she wouldn't leave me alone about it. She said something about the officers in line for the job being awful, and practically forced me to take the position. I seriously didn't want it."

"Link, this is fantastic!" The knight said, grinning broadly. "You'll make a fantastic general. The best generals of Hyrule have always been the ones who didn't want the job. Just read about the Hero of Time! Even though it was a thousand years ago, he was one of the few officers left in a scattered and destroyed military, yet still managed to end a war that Hyrule had come unbelievably close to losing."

"I'm not the Hero of Time." I said. "I don't deserve to be compared to him. He was a legend. I wouldn't have been able to do the things I did without him."

"I still think that's such a weird situation, him coming back to teach you and all." Rusl said. "No wonder you were able to do so many amazing things. He must have had some pretty wild sword techniques."

"Like you wouldn't believe." I replied, fondly remembering how confused enemies would become when I sheathed my sword and prepared for a mortal draw. The back slice and helm splitter had been extremely useful, but the jump strike and great spin had saved my life more times than any of the other skills. "Maybe I can teach you a few of them when you're older, Colin."

"Really?" He asked, amazement filling his young face.

"Maybe. Just make sure you keep practicing with your sword. You'll be a knight one day, if you want." I replied, smiling.

"Awesome!" He yelled, gulping down his soup. "I've been practicing a lot with my dad. He says I'm a natural!"

"I'm sure you are." I said, tousling his hair with my hand. "You'll be hacking down bad guys left and right."

"You bet I will!" He said excitedly.

"All right, well I'm going to go check on my house and start packing up." I said, walking over to the sink and putting my empty bowl in it. "Thank you for lunch, Uli."

"You're welcome, Link. It's the least I can do for the Hero of Light." She replied.

I quietly cursed, having been hoping that the title hadn't reached Ordon, but left without saying anything about it. Instead of going into my house when I reached it, however, I kept on going, leaving the village.

When I reached Ordon Spring, I took a right and went in. Ilia stood there, almost as if she had been waiting for me. Of course, this had always been our meeting spot. If she had heard I was here, she knew I would be looking for her eventually.

"Hey, Link." She mumbled shyly, giving me a small, somewhat stiff hug as I reached her.

"Hey, Ilia. Long time no see." I replied.

"I heard you were back and figured that you would probably want to talk to me." She said, pulling away and turning around to look into the spring.

"Yeah, I do. I've got a lot to tell you about the past few weeks." I said cautiously.

_I'm not going to toy with her emotions. _I thought. _But don't say anything about not wanting to be with her unless she brings it up. _

"Yes, you probably do. What's going on?" She asked.

"Well, Midna went back to the Twilight Realm and broke the mirror." I said, and noticed Ilia's eyes go wide. She even smiled for half a second before catching herself. When the two had met in Kakariko after I killed Ganondorf, they had been civil, but Ilia could tell that there was something unspoken between the twilight princess and I. She had taken an immediate dislike to her. I could only imagine it was born from jealousy.

"Why did she leave?" Ilia asked, keeping the tone of her voice neutral. I could tell she was absolutely giddy now, though.

"Shadow and light aren't supposed to mix. She shattered the mirror so that our worlds won't cause chaos with each other." I answered, and was surprised that I could talk about it easily now. It didn't hurt near as bad to think about.

"Are you…upset?" She asked hesitantly.

Instead of answering, I glanced around awkwardly, not wanting to delve into that with her. It would have been much easier had she simply assumed I was.

"Well, Zelda also offered me a job in the castle, whenever it's rebuilt." I said, changing the subject.

Ilia definitely noticed the subject change, but went along with the conversation. "What job?"

"I'm the general of Hyrule's military now." I said.

"Oh wow…" Was all she managed to get out before trailing off.

"Yeah, I know."

"When do you start? It's going to take at least a year to rebuild the castle."

I steeled myself for whatever emotions my next words might cause. "My duties start soon. I'm moving out of Ordon in the next few days. I'll be working from either Kakariko or Castle Town trying to get a standing army organized."

"You're moving out of Ordon?" Ilia asked in disbelief.

A simple nod of my head brought tears to her eyes, and guilt started worming its way into my heart.

"Link, what about everything you have here?" She asked, taking my hand in both of her own.

"I'm starting a new life, Ilia." I said. "I'm not abandoning Ordon, but I won't ever be satisfied with herding goats for the rest of my life."

"But Link, this is all you've ever known." Ilia choked out, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "Why would you want to change everything? Why would you want to leave all your friends? Why would you want to leave me?"

"Ilia, I'm not-"

"Goddesses be damned, Link. Can't you see that I'm in love with you?" Ilia nearly screamed at me.

_Well that escalated quickly._

I didn't know how to respond to that. I wasn't going to lie and tell her that I loved her. She was my best friend, but nothing more.

"Ilia, I'm not trying to hurt you by doing this." Was all I managed.

"Well you are." She said, dropping my hand and turning around to take a few steps away from me. "Link, I've been in love with you for years. Please don't leave me."

_Damn it all. This is a no win situation. _

"We-"

Without any kind of warning, Ilia turned around, covered the distance between us in two steps and kissed me with years of built up emotions.

_Oh, shit._

I pulled away quickly, my eyes going wide. When she tried to kiss me again, I put my hand on her shoulder, keeping her back.

"Link, please don't leave me." She pleaded, tears renewed.

"I'm sorry, Ilia. I didn't want it to come to this." I said, shaking my head and hating myself for what I had to say. "I can't give you what you want."

"Why?" She asked. "Why can't you stay here and be with me? You always loved Ordon before. Why not now? Am I not worth it?"

"No." I answered before I had a chance to think about it. "And I'm needed elsewhere. It's time for me to move on."

"Please, Link…" Ilia begged, trying to embrace me. I continued holding her back, though.

"I'm sorry, Ilia. Move on from me. I could never make you happy. I'm never going to want to sit still again, and that's exactly what you want me to do. It's what you're asking me to do right now." I said. "You would never be happy with me because I'm always going to be off somewhere doing something."

"Link, I'll do anything. I'll put up with anything for you. That's what love is." She replied, falling to her knees and sobbing. "Please…"

I had to take a deep breath and reassure myself that I was doing the right thing before going on. "No, Ilia. I'm sorry, but I don't feel the way you want me to feel."

My friend crumpled to the ground completely, sobbing uncontrollably at my words. I didn't know what to do, but decided that she needed to be left alone, and walked out of the spring.

Outside, I wasn't surprised to find Talo and Beth hiding in a bush, trying to be as quiet as possible. With a quick pull, I had both of them in my hands and held them up in front of myself.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked, though I didn't have to.

"Well, we saw Ilia go this way, and then you followed, so we decided to come spy." Beth sputtered out. "Please don't hurt us, we didn't see anything!"

"Yet you heard every word of it." I grumbled, dropping them to the ground, where they collapsed at my feet.

"If it helps, I think you're right, Link. She's been obsessing about you all the time and you're always in a bad mood when she's around." Talo said, trying to redeem himself.

"You two need to grow up." I said as I turned around and started walking away. "You're too old to be spying on my personal life."

"Actually, speaking of your personal life." Beth said, running to catch up with me and seemingly unfazed by my anger. "I heard that you were in love with that dark lady. Is that true?"

"I'm not talking about this, Beth." I grumbled, ignoring her as she tugged on my hand. "I'm not in the mood to talk about women and try to make sense out of them."

"So you _were _in love with her. I knew it!" Talo called as he stood up.

I didn't want to lie to them, but I couldn't tell them the truth, either, so I remained silent, forging my way to my house as Beth pulled me back. Finally getting fed up with their antics, I shook Beth off.

"Link, we just want to talk to you!" Talo called out as he caught up to Beth where she sat on the ground. "You've been rude and unhappy ever since you found us. The only time you were yourself was when that tall lady was around. Now she's not here and you're sulking again."

His words froze me in my tracks, sending a chill down my spine. _Is this what I've become? Rude, unhappy, and sulking? Is this how I should be acting?_

With a sigh, I turned around. "Why don't you two come to my house after the celebration tonight? I'll answer all of your questions."

"And you promise you'll not be rude?" Beth asked indignantly as she wiped the dirt from the back of her pants.

"I promise." I said, trying to lighten up a little bit.

"All right, I'm holding you to that." She replied. Without waiting for Talo's smartass response, I turned around and covered the ground to my house, climbed up the ladder and opened the door. The inside was just as I had left it, if just a little dustier. On the top floor, I crashed into my bed and fell asleep as my head hit the pillow, hoping to catch a reprieve from the toll this day had taken on me so far.

**BREAK**

"Link, don't you make me come up there! You won't like it."

"Wha…" I grumbled sleepily, opening my eyes and rolling over slightly, trying to see down to the bottom floor of my house.

A crashing sound downstairs brought me to my feet and wiped the fatigue away. I grabbed the Master Sword, drew it, and jumped from the platform my bed was on. A roll at the bottom prevented me from breaking my legs, and I whipped around, pointing my sword at the door, which had been flung open.

"Whoa, Link. Put that down." A terrified Mayor Bo said. "Killing me won't prevent you from having to come to this party."

"Oh, sorry Bo. I'm used to people trying to kill me when I hear noises like that." I said, putting the sword down on the kitchen table. "Is it already time?"

"It's been time for half an hour. Everyone's waiting on you." The mayor replied, not trying to hide his aggravation.

"Well, give me just a second." I said, and pulled my sword's strap onto my back. Afterwards, I retrieved the sheathe from my bedside, along with my shield. Once I had everything in place, I quickly fixed my hair and met Bo at the door.

"I hope you're ready for a good night, Link." He said as we walked towards the village. "I broke out all of the pumpkin beer I've got for this."

"Thank you for doing that, but I don't drink." I said.

_I wonder if he knows about that situation with Ilia. If he does, he knows I'm leaving._

"Blast it. You never loosen up, do you?" Bo asked. "I was hoping to get you drunk so you wouldn't mind the praise so much."

"Good luck with that. I stopped drinking when I was gone because I would have to be ready to fight at any point in the day or night." I explained. "If I were drunk and Zant decided to disperse the twilight to the area I was in, that could be an issue."

"That doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself now." The mayor said. By now, I could see the giant bonfire the residents had built for me. It had to be about ten feet tall. Positioned around it were at least a dozen kegs of pumpkin beer, from which all the residents of Ordon were now drinking, save for the youngest children.

The sight brought back slightly painful memories of my parents. They had never let me drink as a child. As Hylians, they weren't accustomed to the idea, as Hylian law stated that children weren't to drink until the age of eighteen. After my parents had died, I took up drinking. I never drank enough to be considered an alcoholic, but I got close. It would wash the pain of their deaths away, if only temporarily.

A few of the villagers called my name and a cheer erupted. I couldn't help but smile as I saw how excited my friends were at seeing me. A quick glance around didn't yield Ilia, but that was only to be expected. I hardly expected her to be here after how I treated her at the spring.

"Hey everyone!" Bo called. "How about we sing him a birthday song?"

A wild cheer went up, and I smiled down into the ground. Within seconds, the traditional Ordonian birthday song penetrated the night air. It didn't sound very good, since half the people singing it were drunk, but that was all right with me. I was just glad to be celebrating another birthday, instead of having been slaughtered by Ganondorf.

The party went on in typical Ordonian style, with toasts everywhere. Most of them were to me, and began all sounding the same as the villagers became even more intoxicated. Finally, Mayor Bo came to me and, with a quick pat on the back, sent me up on top of his roof so that I could tell the story of my adventure. As I walked by Ilia's window, guilt welled up inside my chest, but I pushed it back down and sat down on the edge of the roof, facing the party.

"Bo is demanding that I tell you all the story of my adventure over the course of last year. Is that what you all want?" I asked, raising my voice so they could hear. Every villager tossed their glasses up in the air and cheered louder, making me laugh. "All right, everyone sit down. This is a very long story. We might be here for a few hours."

I told them everything. These villagers were my family, and deserved to know all of the dark secrets of my adventure. Much to my surprise, Uli was furiously scribbling down everything I said, as a hedge against the forgetfulness of time. I was glad she was doing so. If this ever happened again, I wanted future generations to understand the danger Ganondorf posed.

They all cheered when I told them of how Ook and I used bombs and the gale boomerang to defeat Diababa. They were amazed when I told them of how I defeated Fyrus by shooting the gem into his forehead, thus rescuing Darbus. Morpheel was a new reaction altogether. I didn't think they actually believed me about the fight with the giant worm underwater, and Stallord was just as unbelievable. Blizzeta earned some sympathy from the villagers, as I told them of how she was inadvertently corrupted by the power of the Twilight Mirror. Of all the dungeon bosses, though, Armogohma amazed them the most, as I had fought the giant spider in the dark by controlling enormous statues. I had quite a bit of fun telling them about how I beat Argorok, seeing as how I had been miles up in the sky at the time.

When I got to my trip to the Twilight Realm, I described to them its beauty, even under Zant's corruption. My final battle with Zant was, for lack of better words, interesting. Going through every temple's boss chamber again and using the same strategies as before to defeat him was fun to tell about.

Nothing fascinated the crowd more than my defeat of Zelda when she had been possessed. They were even more dumbfounded when I told them of how Midna had saved her with the Fused Shadows. My battle with Ganon looked like child's play compared to that. I finally answered their questions as to why the castle had blown apart, and when I told the villagers of how Zelda and I worked together to defeat Ganondorf on horseback, they cheered for what must have been the thousandth time. My sword battle with the King of Evil was short and sweet, and I told them of his last words.

Finally, I segued into my final days with Midna. I didn't make too much of an attempt to hide the fact that I had loved her, and her me. I didn't say it, but I imagined that everyone listening could tell. When I told them of how she broke the Twilight Mirror in parting, there were scowls all around.

"And that brings an end to my adventure." I said finally, but continued before they could cheer or anything like that. "But I have something to tell all of you before you go."

There was a slight murmur that went through the crowd, but they hushed quickly. "Princess Zelda offered me the job of General of Hyrule's Military. I have decided to accept, which means that I'm going to be moving out of Ordon for good."

"Wait, whoa." Talo yelled from the crowd. "You can't leave, Link! You just got back!"

The other villagers seemed to be in agreement, but I stood strong. "I don't want this job, but Zelda insists that I'll be the best one for it. Who am I to tell her no? I will be moving out tomorrow. I wanted you all to know about this before I leave."

The villagers were all silent, so I hopped down from the roof, having said what I needed to say. Immediately, a roar erupted around the crowd surrounded me, picking me up.

"Put me down!" I yelled, laughing. But it was no use. They cheered, cried, and displayed every emotion possible as they carried me to and deposited me at my house. I went inside quickly, hoping that they would depart. The plan almost worked, but I heard a knock as I was crawling into bed.

"Who is it?" I called, silently cursing.

"It's Talo and Beth." I heard the young boy's voice. "You said you would answer questions and stuff."

"Oh, yeah. Hang on, I'll be right there." I replied, and pulled my tunic back on. When I climbed down and opened the door, the two kids burst through and sat down on my small couch.

"So you _did _love that Midna girl, didn't you?" Beth asked before I even had a chance to speak.

I sighed in frustration, but nodded.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed. "Why did she break the mirror, though? Sounds like she felt the same about you."

"Who knows?" I asked. "Obviously she had a good reason, or she wouldn't have done it."

"Isn't there another way to get to her?" Talo cut in.

"No." I said, shaking my head. "And if there were, I wouldn't take it. She tried to stop communications between our worlds. The only thing she said that made me question that was 'see you later.' I don't know if she meant that literally or figuratively, but I have to move on. I put my life on hold in the hopes that I'll find her one day."

"I understand." Beth said quietly, but then looked up at me with a mischievous grin. "So are you going to start hitting on Princess Zelda instead?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed with the two kids. "No, I doubt it."

"Well you should." Talo said. "She's probably the most attractive person I've ever seen in my life."

"Talo!" Beth scolded as him and I laughed with each other.

"Relax, Beth." I said. "Nothing is going to happen between the princess and I. Just because I'm going to be working with her on a day to day basis doesn't mean I'm going to start chasing after her like some lovesick puppy."

"Twenty rupees say you will before the year is over." Talo snickered.

"We'll see about that." I said. "Is that all you wanted to ask me? Questions about my love life?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Beth replied, getting up. "You need to get some soon."

"Are you serious?" I asked, mortified. "Beth, I didn't even know what that meant when I was your age."

"It's not my fault you were sheltered." She giggled as they both went out the door.

**BREAK**

After the first good night of sleep in weeks, I quickly packed a few of my most important possessions. The whole process of getting on the road only took an hour. I left almost everything.

On the way out, I said my goodbyes to Rusl, Uli and Colin, and then Bo. Ilia was upstairs, but didn't come down. I wasn't surprised, seeing as how I had just broken her heart the day before.

Without any kind of fanfare, I went back to my house, where Epona was waiting. It was early enough in the morning that Talo, Malo, and Beth weren't awake. The entire village was probably hung over, making for a quiet exit.

After I had tied my small bag of possessions onto Epona's saddle, I mounted her and, spurring her forward, left Ordon, my memories, and my entire childhood in the dust.


End file.
